Chapter 33: The Soul Pact
Kage nodded in agreement and asked with great energy.
"I think so... then what do you need me to do?!"
The Head Firekeeper looked at Kage, suppressing the urge to shake his head at the boy.
’What a pitiful thing.’
The Head Firekeeper sighed and looked down thoughtfully for a moment. Then he raised his head to meet Kage’s gaze.
"Since we need to move quickly, I need someone to delay the High Patriarch from finding out. You’re in the most logical position to do that."
Kage’s eyes sparkled with childish vigor.
"Yes! I can do that."
The Head Firekeeper’s lips curled slightly.
’This guy is truly stupid. Well, this will be easier than expected. I can pin this whole thing on him while using the opportunity to free Hwi-Geon. I’ll give Hwi-Geon a rendezvous point and buy my place in the clan a little longer so I can destroy it from within.
’As for the young lord, it’s the word of all the firekeepers against him. He came to the Judgment Codex, discovered Hwi-Geon, and sought to release him. He was just a stupid child with no brain—the Patriarch will surely kill him on the spot. Or at least the fourth young master, who suffered greatly to apprehend Hwi-Geon, will definitely do it.’
Shen Fengxi laughed internally as he concocted his plan to pin everything on Kage while using this opportunity to truly free the prisoner Hwi-Geon.
Kage looked at him like someone gazing at his mentor.
"Alright then, Shen Fengxi. I shall go and do just that."
Kage turned but stopped and looked back at Shen Fengxi. The Head Firekeeper asked with a slight frown.
"What?"
Kage lingered for a moment, then asked:
"How can you be sure I won’t betray you?"
Shen Fengxi’s brow furrowed.
’Ah... you’re so stupid, and you just proved it to me. You’re not smart enough to betray me. But it never hurts to be extra cautious.’
Shen Fengxi smiled.
"Well, since you sacrificed so much so we could do this together, I wanted to trust you. But if you prefer, we can form a soul pact."
Kage looked at Shen Fengxi and nodded.
"That works. Since you, Shen Fengxi, are in the most vulnerable position and are the older one, you can take the more favorable position."
Shen Fengxi looked down at Kage with a slightly bewildered expression.
’This guy... he’s not fit to be a villain at all. What the hell? He already trusts me completely? Tsk, kids—this is why they’re so bad for business. You can’t just go around trusting people like that, young lord.’
His internal grin widened.
’Well, it’s good he brought it up because I completely overlooked it. But now that he mentioned it, I remember the Soul Order of Temporal Truth. Yes, that should work perfectly.’
He looked at Kage again.
"Since you suggested it, I shall bind our souls with the Soul Order of Temporal Truth."
He walked closer to Kage.
"Soul Pacts are extremely dangerous and must never be broken. If broken, the bystanders of the universal structure will harvest the soul of whoever breaks the pact and bind it for eternity in the Peak of Ten Thousand Shackles—the same place said to have once held powerful demons."
Kage gulped, his eyes wavering slightly.
Shen Fengxi studied him.
"What? Want to change your mind now?"
Kage clenched his fist.
"That would mean I intend to betray you. But I don’t intend to betray you, so please proceed with the pact."
Shen Fengxi looked at Kage with an impressed gleam in his eyes.
’Wow, this guy... he really is determined to destroy the clan. Ah, don’t worry—die now, but I will definitely bring down the clan on our behalf.’
Shen Fengxi stood before Kage, scratched his thumb on his teeth, and used the blood on his palm, then did the same on Kage’s palm.
"Press your palm against mine. Since you haven’t awakened your dantian, I’ll use my Qi essence for both of us, and the pact will activate."
Both their palms, marked with the circle symbol Shen Fengxi had drawn in blood, pressed together. Crimson Qi essence flowed from Shen Fengxi’s body like steam, wrapping around their joined hands and spinning until it stopped and shattered.
Kage watched the symbol sink into his palm.
"Now the pact is written on our souls. Since you have the younger soul, if you try to sell me out, you’ll die."
Kage looked at him with a spark of curiosity.
"What about you, Shen Fengxi?"
Shen Fengxi’s eyes flashed with hostility.
"You’re the one who wants to help me. Are you saying I’ll sell myself out?"
Kage grinned sheepishly.
"No, not at all. I’m just saying... you could also decide to sell me out, right?"
Shen Fengxi’s voice rose, speaking sternly.
"How dare you?! You take me for a dishonorable man? Am I a joke to you?!"
Kage trembled slightly, looking down.
"I... I’m sorry."
Shen Fengxi glowered down at him with barely contained hostility.
"I’m not forcing this on you. You can opt out now and I’ll break the pact. Of course, I’ll have no choice but to kill you."
Kage shook at those words.
’This bastard...’
"I’m sorry! I believe you. I was just concerned, that’s all. Time is of the essence—I’ll set out now. You do what you must, Shen Fengxi."
Kage immediately turned and walked out of the section.
Shen Fengxi sighed heavily.
"Shit. That child almost discovered me. But he can’t be as smart as his elders."
Shen Fengxi looked around.
"I have to reach the Black Tower first. I’ve spent the last five years preparing a way inside. The only incomplete part of the plan is getting out—which is why I need to use the seventeenth young lord as cover, pin this all on him, and use the chaos to smuggle Hwi-Geon out of the clan."
He clenched his fist tightly.
"I didn’t prepare for it all to unfold this early. But I can’t stop now. The Ironstorm clan destroyed my entire family, took everything from me. My brothers and I... we’ve been preparing for this all our lives."
His eyes sharpened with resolve.
"I cannot fail."